Your Roku device is getting a free, high-definition upgrade for the holidays james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson) | usagoldmines.com

• Roku City is a colorful screensaver featured on Roku devices
• It’s had its resolution increased to HD
• Another free Roku upgrade

Roku City, the animated screensaver featured on Roku devices, is getting several graphical upgrades and advancements, with the free update set to roll out this week.

Roku City has first and foremost been upgraded to Full HD 1080p resolution, after spending 6 years since its release in 2018 at 720p resolution. Roku City will also show an expanded color palette for an even brighter display.

There are also new Easter Eggs and visuals featured within the scene itself, including a new train station and interactive billboards where users can learn about Roku’s content and channels.

More free updates

Roku is one of the best streaming devices for offering free upgrades to its smart TV platform, with a 24/7 sports channel launched earlier this year, a free weekly trivia game and a visual upgrade in Backdrops which was introduced to the Roku Pro Series lineup, some of the best TVs on the market. Backdrops displays artwork and photos on the TV’s screen in a similar style to Samsung’s The Frame TVs.

Even though 2024 has been a year where Roku has introduced or hinted at the arrival of ads to its platform, whether that’s Instagram-style ads or video ads, it’s nice to see the company trying to make up for that with constant free updates, something other smart TV platforms and brands don’t often provide.

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